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Type 94 Tankette
The Type 94 Tankette, or TK, was a tankette that was used by Japan during World War II. Description The Type 94 had a Mitsubishi Type 94 engine that was capable of propelling it at speeds of up to forty kilometers per hour. The type also had a total weight of 3,400 kilograms and a total length 3.08 meters. The armament of the Type 94 consisted of either a single 7.7 mm Type 97 machine gun or a single 6.5 mm Type 91 machine gun. To operate the tankette, a crew of two men was required. For the machine guns, around 1,980 rounds of ammunition could be carried on board. The Type 94 was originally designed as an ammunition carrier but was then converted into tankette for use in China and good reliability and effective mobility were key.http://www3.plala.or.jp/takihome/tk.htm The armor protection found on the Type 94 was about 6 mm to 12 mm around the hull of the vehicle which was fairly sufficient for its early combat missions but later became outdated. The gearbox of the tankette consisted of a four speed forward, one speed reverse transmission while the operational range was around 200 kilometers.http://www.onwar.com/tanks/japan/data/t94.htm History .]] The Type 94 Tankette was initially developed in the mid to late 1930s following the acquisition of several Carden Loyd tankettes by the Japanese military. These were tested vigorously and were well liked in their service trials. Therefore, it was placed upon the Hiro Motor Company to design and develop a vehicle equivalent to serve the army. The exact specifications called for a vehicle that was well suited for rough terrain and could effectively transport either inside itself or via an armored trailer, ammunition to frontline units quickly. Overall, the Type 94 was designed to meet said specification and it did so quite well except instead of a completely unarmed/unarmored design, a small turret was added along with a redesigned hull so that the vehicle could serve in combat. Furthermore, the Type 94 was still completely capable of fulfilling its intended role of general tractor and was used to great advantage to move equipment and personnel across rough terrain. The Type 94 entered service with the Imperial Japanese Army in 1934 and was immediately put into mass production so that a total of six vehicles could be assigned to each infantry division. This was helped by the fact that the tank itself was very cheap to produce. By 1941, the Type 94 was already in mass service, fighting in China, Malaya, and Burma.http://www.wwiivehicles.com/japan/tankettes/type-94.asp However, as the war progressed, its effectiveness naturally went on the decline as a frontline vehicle. Still, the vehicle was not any less useful as an ammunition carrier or even as a reconnaissance vehicle. One last notable use of the Type 94 up to the end of the war was like most other Japanese tanks, the vehicle would be submerged in rocks and dirt and used as a pillbox. In total, around 823 units had been created by the end of the war. References Category:Japanese Vehicles Category:Tankettes Category:Vehicles Category:Type 94 Tankette